1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for packaging a film cartridge, which houses a rolled photographic film therein, by automatically inserting the film cartridge into a case.
2. Description of the Related Art
Usually, a photographic film is produced and packaged by preparing a photographic film of given size cut from an elongate photographic film, rolling the photographic film, placing the rolled photographic film into a film cartridge, and inserting the film cartridge into a case (outer package). These separate processes have been carried out by respective individual apparatus.
Generally, the rolled photographic film which is housed in the film cartridge has an outer end called "film leader" projecting a certain length out of the film cartridge through a slit defined in the wall of the cartridge housing. When the film cartridge is loaded in a camera, the film leader is attached to a film take-up spool in the camera and wound on the film take-up spool to pull the photographic film from the film cartridge for making the photographic film ready for exposures. Since it is necessary to keep the film leader wound reliably on the outer circumferential surface of the film cartridge upon insertion into the case, the process of inserting the film cartridge into the case is considerably complex.
There has heretofore been known a method of and an apparatus for automatically inserting a film cartridge which houses a rolled photographic film therein into a case, as disclosed in Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 9-5947, for example. According to the disclosed method, at the same time that the film cartridge is axially moved, one of the film cartridge and the case is rotated about the longitudinal axis of the film cartridge, and the film leader projecting from the housing of the film cartridge is wound around the housing due to relative movement of the film leader and a rim of the case upon engagement therebetween, allowing the film cartridge and the film leader to be easily inserted into the case.
However, because the film cartridge is inserted into the case while one of the film cartridge and the case is being rotated, an inner wall surface of the case, which is made of plastic, tends to be rubbed or frictionally contacted by the film leader that projects out of the housing of the film cartridge. Therefore, the inner wall surface of the case is abraded by an edge of the photographic film and edges around perforations defined in the photographic film, thus scraping off minute plastic particles or fragments which are liable to be attached to the photographic film. In addition, the apparatus for automatically inserting the film cartridge into the case is relatively complicated because of the need for a mechanism for rotating one of the film cartridge and the case upon insertion of the film cartridge into the case.